Philosophical dissertations, with proper reflections : proving I. The non-eternity of matter and that there is a vacuum. II. That there must necessarily be one self-existent being in three self-existent properties ... III. That the light and heat of the sun ... are purely spiritous ... IV. That the soul is immortal / By Benjamin Parker.

  • Parker, Benjamin, -1747.
Date:
1738
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Philosophical dissertations, with proper reflections : proving I. The non-eternity of matter and that there is a vacuum. II. That there must necessarily be one self-existent being in three self-existent properties ... III. That the light and heat of the sun ... are purely spiritous ... IV. That the soul is immortal / By Benjamin Parker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The very Nature of the Word Creation im¬ plies a Beginning of the Thing created ^ and if whatever is created muff have a Beginning, as • f t- ir, ' ■ - V it neceffirily tnufl, thdn mult there be an. Eter* nitypaft before that Beginning , but to iniagin Creatures from Eternity niuft be abfurd and Nonfence 5 for this would fuppofe Creatures neceffary as well as the Creator, and whatever is neceffary cannot be lubjedt to Alteration or Change, or could it require a Creation j for only what is created can be fubjected to Alteration, according to the Will of its Creator, and as its Adis of free Agency are diredted to thole Laws given it. It mull be abfurd to reafon from the Inacti¬ vity of this Neceffary Being, that had he not had Creatures from Eternity he muft neceffary have been an Eternity Idle : This neceffary Ex¬ igent Being, being in himfelf infinitely Perfect, and his Eternity admits no Meafure or Progref- flon as Times does } and the neareft we can con¬ ceive of his Eternity pafl before he began his Creations j is, that no Time was pafl before this Beginningg for Time only commenced with the Beginning of Creation; but to imagin him an Eternity idle, is making Time and Eternity fimilar to each other 3 whereas Eternity before the Creation was no more to the fupreme, infi¬ nite, unoriginated Being than any prefent In- ftant of Time is to .us, which we can neither meafure nor continue, but by its conffanrly flow¬ ing as it comes and makes no flay, is that which alone gives Time a Name and Duration to us.